Zimbabwe this week began transporting more than 2,500 animals from the south to the north of the country. The aim is to protect them from the drought caused by climate change, which in recent times has overtaken poaching as the biggest threat to wildlife in the country, according to officials.
According to a report by the Associated Press news agency, about 2,000 impalas (a type of antelope), 400 elephants, 70 giraffes, 50 buffaloes, 50 wildebeests, 50 zebras, ten lions and ten wild dogs are among the animals being taken from the Savé Valley reserve to three other natural sanctuaries in the north —Sapi, Matusadonha and Chizarira—, on a journey of about 700 kilometers.
This is not the first project to capture and transport live animals in southern Africa that we have heard of. About 60 years ago, between 1958 and 1964, Operation Noé rescued more than 5,000 animals threatened by the rising water level of the Zambezi River after the construction of a hydroelectric dam on the site.
This time it was falling water levels that led to the need to transport the animals. A spokeswoman for Zimbabwe National Parks and the Wildlife Management Authority, Tinashe Farawo explained to the AP that prolonged drought causes animals to destroy their habitat and makes them a danger to themselves — as well as a threat to wildlife. neighboring villages, since that is where the animals go in search of food when there are no more options in the forest.
Farawo added that another way of dealing with the issue would be slaughter, but he is considered cruel by activists. The last authorization of the type in Zimbabwe dates from 1987.
The effects of climate change — the cause of extreme events such as droughts and cyclones, according to the scientific community — have been particularly noticeable across the globe in recent months.
Across the African continent, national parks record below-average rainfall. Authorities say the drought mainly threatens species such as rhinos, giraffes and antelopes, as it reduces the amount of food available.
The situation is repeated in the Northern Hemisphere. In England, for example, thermometers rose above 40°C for the first time in history last month, and the government declared a state of drought in half the country. In addition, countries such as Portugal, Spain and France have been the scene of forest fires.
